tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post2058027496871806913..comments2016-11-28T15:16:40.471-05:00Comments on Penny Watson Author: How Romance Is Like LacrossePenny Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14368435416101875612noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-69796518642178469382014-05-12T19:41:17.581-04:002014-05-12T19:41:17.581-04:00I get so upset when I see comments like these here...I get so upset when I see comments like these here. I write contemporary romance that my own brother and his wife sniff at, calling it &quot;vanilla&quot; because there&#39;s only 1 man and 1 woman involved. No beatings until it feels good, no blood, no stalking, no &quot;dom&quot; or &quot;sub&quot;. I don&#39;t want to explore how &quot;the lifestyle&quot; works because I don&#39;t care. Do what you want in your own life, but I don&#39;t want to read about it.<br /><br />I&#39;m not sure how to get readers like you all aware of what I write: well-rounded characters who don&#39;t live in a vacuum, but have family members that they care about, who care when they get hurt by romance. &quot;Real&quot; people living real lives, who just happen to fall in love<br /><br />Harley the reviewer named one of my books her number one choice in contemporary for 2013. She&#39;s fed up with beatings and power plays also. She&#39;s a Harlequin fan from way back. <br /><br />The last review I got was from Long and Short Reviews, and it was about my book involving a biker queen (I dislike all of the motorcycle men who think of humiliation of the heroine as foreplay, so I turned the meme on its head with a female biker). The reviewer mostly like the book but thought I didn&#39;t have enough &quot;variations&quot; in the sex scenes...which were so frequent Harlie wrote that she had to keep fanning herself. <br /><br />Which proves that you still can&#39;t please everyone, no matter what you write.<br /><br />BTW, if you&#39;ve never heard of the MC (motorcycle clubs) romances, you must not read Dear Author, where they&#39;re the regular fare with everyone raving about how much like &quot;crack&quot; they are. Fiona McGierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13495707848048468428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-37116108303799496382014-05-11T08:20:10.633-04:002014-05-11T08:20:10.633-04:00Hi Kinley! I totally agree about the mutual respec...Hi Kinley! I totally agree about the mutual respect. An old-fashioned concept that I adore.Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-51399883576686280222014-05-10T11:34:32.786-04:002014-05-10T11:34:32.786-04:00I love the romance genre so much and I don&#39;t w...I love the romance genre so much and I don&#39;t want to see anyone give up on it. I want to read about loveable and strong characters who have mutual respect for each other. I want all the feels and the happy ending. It might not always be popular, but that will always be romance to me. And I&#39;ll do my best to buy those books to support the continuation of a genre that helped me through a lot of tough spots just by giving me a little hope.Kinley Bakerhttp://kinleybaker.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-65180650546488851042014-05-10T07:19:44.742-04:002014-05-10T07:19:44.742-04:00Tasha...*fist bump*Tasha...*fist bump*Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-31990395912502373242014-05-10T07:19:30.428-04:002014-05-10T07:19:30.428-04:00Angela...I&#39;ve seen the escalating violence tow...Angela...I&#39;ve seen the escalating violence towards women in contemporary, paranormal, YA. I think you have the right approach...stick with authors you know and trust. Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-29002721867206387262014-05-10T00:37:52.865-04:002014-05-10T00:37:52.865-04:00Word.Word.Tasha Brandstatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09494625457587427781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-52772347306419294732014-05-09T22:32:26.899-04:002014-05-09T22:32:26.899-04:00Wait, what? There are &quot;romances&quot; where t...Wait, what? There are &quot;romances&quot; where the hero passes the heroine around to his buds? WTF? I certainly haven&#39;t come across that yet. Are these in YA and NA? I must be lucky in my picks as I&#39;m not seeing a lot of these scenarios in what I&#39;ve been reading, though I don&#39;t read a lot of contemporary, so maybe that&#39;s why. In fact, the only time I do is only for particular authors.angelaquarles.comhttp://angelaquarles.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-63998623868317369812014-05-09T15:51:25.715-04:002014-05-09T15:51:25.715-04:00HMCW--Totally agree about forgetting about the her...HMCW--Totally agree about forgetting about the hero. That&#39;s rule #1 for romance...gotta keep H/h together as much as possible. Also, agree about the lack of truly romantic moments. That&#39;s what I love about those vintage Julie Garwood historicals. SWOONY!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-7186382476998008112014-05-09T15:49:06.865-04:002014-05-09T15:49:06.865-04:00Juju...I sure hope so!Juju...I sure hope so!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-40536999525438770962014-05-09T14:33:34.067-04:002014-05-09T14:33:34.067-04:00Hi Barbara! I read Harlequins every week. I like t...Hi Barbara! I read Harlequins every week. I like the ones that are more old-school, on the sweet and romantic side. I am also addicted to HPs lately! I love that the formula guarantees a good grovel and HEA. EVERYONE...GO CHECK OUT A CATEGORY ROMANCE!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-86902879267342273322014-05-09T14:33:21.309-04:002014-05-09T14:33:21.309-04:00I agree with Barbara re: category romances.
I lov...I agree with Barbara re: category romances.<br /><br />I love contemporary...but the problem I&#39;m having lately: The hero is apart from the heroine too much; or the romance starts too late. I&#39;ve had to put down several books where we meet the hero...and then he&#39;s GONE for 20, 30, 50 pages or more. Come back, I want to see you again! I&#39;ve forgotten your name!<br /><br />Also having a problem with romances that are too light in the romance department. I don&#39;t mean I want more love scenes. I just want more *romance*: more kissing, more dates/hanging out, more getting to know each other, etc. Some of the romances I pick up seem more like fiction with romantic elements. They have more external plot than romance. So if the hero IS around, I&#39;m going &quot;Let&#39;s have more kissing!&quot; lol<br /><br />Or maybe I&#39;m getting too picky.<br /><br />Handy Man, Crafty Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04304255281099070540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-24162870565727324602014-05-09T14:31:10.677-04:002014-05-09T14:31:10.677-04:00I agree. It&#39;s definitely changed. Let&#39;s ho...I agree. It&#39;s definitely changed. Let&#39;s hope it comes back.Juju at Tales of Whimsy.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10938494589922620170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-26261727874396645012014-05-09T13:31:20.351-04:002014-05-09T13:31:20.351-04:00You&#39;re not alone, Penny. I am an old-school r...You&#39;re not alone, Penny. I am an old-school reader too. BDSM, etc. just isn&#39;t for me. And I dislike intensely how marketing formulas have displaced good writing as the key to success. <br /><br />BUT, I will make one comment for all you people lamenting the days of old. PICK UP A CATEGORY ROMANCE! We&#39;re still trying to write quality stories with happy endings and no bondage, Sadly though, our books are buried by the noise or ignored in a fit of anti-Harlequin bias.<br /><br />Sorry - I had to rant just a bit. It kills me that my hard-written Harlequin romances (as in the Romance line - not all HQ romances) are languishing to the point of near extinction.<br /><br />As usual Penny, your thoughts echo what so many of us are thinking these days.barbara wallacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07072071829424338777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-24635854163318346792014-05-09T12:56:43.836-04:002014-05-09T12:56:43.836-04:00Kat....I am ALL for alpha cuddly guys. Maybe a lum...Kat....I am ALL for alpha cuddly guys. Maybe a lumberjack? Hee!<br /><br />Also, if I saw vintage Garwoods at a book sale, I would fly over the table and scoop them up in a heartbeat.Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-72337374872130854392014-05-09T12:55:21.478-04:002014-05-09T12:55:21.478-04:00Stephanie...I am picky, too. Picky is fine!Stephanie...I am picky, too. Picky is fine!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-49623399265875841992014-05-09T12:52:51.182-04:002014-05-09T12:52:51.182-04:00Hi Jody. No, it&#39;s not strictly self-pubbed. In...Hi Jody. No, it&#39;s not strictly self-pubbed. In fact a lot of the copycat books are trad-pubbed. I think the NY publishers see something selling, and want their authors to jump on the bandwagon. Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-26877807377667951952014-05-09T12:51:55.832-04:002014-05-09T12:51:55.832-04:00Laura...good point about the noise. There are stil...Laura...good point about the noise. There are still good books out there, but I have to search for them. I love romance, too, which is why I&#39;m so sad the genre has taken this &quot;harder-edge&quot; turn. I see a lot of these books as being &quot;relationship&quot; books but not necessarily &quot;romance.&quot; There&#39;s a big difference.Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-19102657286540544512014-05-09T12:50:27.502-04:002014-05-09T12:50:27.502-04:00Hi Barbara! I&#39;m right there with you in the ol...Hi Barbara! I&#39;m right there with you in the old lady club. I sort of like it. You can get away with being super eccentric when you&#39;re old! BRING IT!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-32532615528063804652014-05-09T12:49:51.997-04:002014-05-09T12:49:51.997-04:00Gisele--Thank you for stopping by. I have not read...Gisele--Thank you for stopping by. I have not read any Judith McNaught! Sounds like I better add her to my TBR pile.Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-84895458988853723322014-05-09T12:49:18.726-04:002014-05-09T12:49:18.726-04:00KB--You&#39;re goading me, I see. ROARKE! Button m...KB--You&#39;re goading me, I see. ROARKE! Button man!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-69875523310391931182014-05-09T12:48:48.388-04:002014-05-09T12:48:48.388-04:00Hey Julia. OLD SCHOOL AUTHORS UNITE! Woo hoo!Hey Julia. OLD SCHOOL AUTHORS UNITE! Woo hoo!Penelopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729149456469452771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-69016964367841729492014-05-09T12:12:04.167-04:002014-05-09T12:12:04.167-04:00Totally agree with you. I don&#39;t mind if a hero...Totally agree with you. I don&#39;t mind if a hero starts out a kind of jerk, but then realizes the errors of his ways, cause I love a good grovel. But, I don&#39;t like when the hero is OTT and filled with rage. I want a balanced of alpha and cuddly. Why can&#39;t we have that? <br /><br />On another note, I was at the library used book sale last week and saw several old school Garwoods for sale. I nearly ran over a woman to get to them. It was a total Gollum moment as I hugged them too me. &quot;My Precioussssssss!&quot; Kat Morriseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282066936925518393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-75222485094204529012014-05-09T11:26:23.508-04:002014-05-09T11:26:23.508-04:00What a relief to hear someone else say this. I mus...What a relief to hear someone else say this. I must be old fashioned, but I don&#39;t find most erotica romantic. 2 or 3 or 4 people having sex isn&#39;t romantic.<br />I&#39;ve become very picky about what I read. Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020966780454775460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-29623817487420571092014-05-09T11:17:31.619-04:002014-05-09T11:17:31.619-04:00Is most of the &quot;noise&quot; selfpubbed or are...Is most of the &quot;noise&quot; selfpubbed or are you guys finding this same type of book you don&#39;t like everywhere?Jody W. and Meankittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733607365443126784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6477497281805275446.post-71666231267299241452014-05-09T10:57:48.973-04:002014-05-09T10:57:48.973-04:00There&#39;s a lot of &quot;noise&quot; in the roma...There&#39;s a lot of &quot;noise&quot; in the romance market right now and it&#39;s definitely harder to find the better books. I haven&#39;t given up on them. I still hope they&#39;re out there. Whenever I see someone say something&#39;s a &quot;cracky&quot; read, it immediately gets crossed off my list--I have no desire to read that stuff. <br /><br />I like books where bad grammar, bad spelling, don&#39;t toss me out of the story. I like books where the problem with the romantic relationship having a HEA isn&#39;t that the hero is an irredeemable jerk. <br /><br />I actually love contemporary romance. I think it&#39;s probably my favorite genre, tied with romantic suspense. But finding the KIND of contemporary I like has become more difficult. I don&#39;t want billionaires, bikers, or BDSM. It eliminates a LOT of books.<br /><br />But there are some good books still out there. It just takes longer to find them. I have to believe that, because I still love romance.Laura K. Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08444534759113332744noreply@blogger.com